Expanding Our Heart: Love and Compassion in Everyday Life

An Experiential Workshop with Valerie Baker,
Newcastle in Person, Sunday 16th November, 9.30am – 4.30pm, Carrington Memorial Hall, 1A Hargraves St Carrington, NSW 2294.

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
— His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Many people think of compassion as something we either have or don’t — in the Buddhist tradition, however, compassion is a quality we can consciously develop, just like mindfulness or concentration.

Rigpa Newcastle warmly invites you to a special workshop with Buddhist teacher Valerie Baker.
Valerie will guide us through profound yet practical methods from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, showing how compassion can grow our daily lives.

Together we will explore:

• How compassion can transform the way we relate to ourselves and others.
• What begins to unfold when we actively cultivate compassion.
• The Four Immeasurables — loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity — timeless practices for opening the heart to others.
• Simple guided exercises that bring ease, connection, and a sense of spaciousness.

At a time when compassion is needed more than ever, this is an opportunity to pause, reflect, and discover that compassion is not just an ideal, but a practice that can be learned, deepened, and shared.

📍Carrington Memorial Hall, 1A Hargraves St Carrington, (Newcastle). It is a charming hall, is wheelchair accessible and has easy parking.

🗓️ Sunday 16th November

⏰ 9.30am – 4.30pm
with breaks for morning and afternoon tea (supplied) and lunch (not supplied).

About Valerie

Valerie grew up in Ireland and has been a student of Buddhism since the early 1990s and has completed several traditional closed retreats. For the last 20 years, Valerie has developed Buddhist courses and study programmes for Rigpa and has held teaching and practice events around the world.
She is known for her clarity, her sense of humour, kindness and humility. She currently lives and works at the Lerab Ling Retreat Centre in France.